Opioid Crisis Response

Opioid Crisis Response

The State of Missouri is facing an Opioid Public Health Crisis of epic proportions. It is tragically impacting the lives of families and communities every day. The Department of Mental Health (DMH) has received two federal grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to provide prevention, treatment and recovery services in response to the Opioid Crisis. Below are brief descriptions of these federal grants.

Opioid State Targeted Response (Opioid STR) Grant – $10,015,898 a year for 2 years

DMH and the Missouri Institute of Mental Health (MIMH) are leading this project. Collaborative partners include substance use disorder and healthcare agencies, organizations, and academic affiliates throughout the state. The grant was received in May 2017.

Prevent Drug/Opioid (PDO) Overdose-Related Deaths Grant - $1,000,000 a year for 5 years

DMH provides overall coordination and leadership, with the National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse (NCADA) leading the implementation and MIMH leading the administration and evaluation of the program. This grant was received in September 2016.

The goal of the Missouri Opioid-Heroin Overdose Prevention and Education (MO-HOPE) Project is to reduce the number of opioid overdose-related deaths and adverse events among individuals 18 years of age and older.

Key components of the grant include training emergency responders, substance use disorder treatment providers, and other key community sectors on the prevention of opioid overdose-related deaths. The primary focus is on secondary prevention strategies, including the purchase and distribution of naloxone to persons at risk of experiencing or witnessing an overdose.

MO-HOPE training for diverse professional and community audiences focuses on evidence-based practices to reduce rates of overdose through public health and harm reduction strategies.

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An estimated 235,000 Missourians misused prescription drugs last year, which can cause negative health effects including addiction and overdose death. This issue affects individuals young and old and can be prevented. Find out more about this campaign.